What is it with the Facebook craze? I just don’t understand. 
Everybody is rushing out to keep Facebook accounts… except me, that is. I think Facebook stinks. For one, I’ve been out of junior high school for 30 years… and I have no desire to return. For two, Facebook wants to sell users’ information, and to anybody who’s willing to buy, looks like.
Facebook to Share Your Info for Money
MINNEAPOLIS - Facebook is now sharing your personal profile information with third parties. For now, it’s just a few web sites, like the music site Pandora, and the consumer review site, Yelp.Facebook is automatically sharing that information, without your consent. If you don’t want to share, you have to opt out… [and it’s a complicated process to do so]…
Facebook want to make money by selling user information.
Last week, Facebook announced new features designed to unlock more of the data accumulated about its users during its six-year history. The senators said the recent changes by Facebook fundamentally alter the relationship between users and the social networking site. Before the change, users had control over what information they wished to share publicly and what information they wanted to keep private.
Loads of folks were up in arms about grocery stores storing user information. And people were outraged with Google’s Buzzle and with all the other crap we have to endure from so many companies who see our birthdays and Social Security numbers like fatted calves. But Facebook has 600 million users and it seems to be growing. I’ve had some advertisers who required that I sign up with Facebook to “favorite” them (or whatever it’s called) in order to get paid. I tried Facebook for a while, but quit after hearing about the first time the Facebook freaks wanted to store and sell my info. No thanks.
There’s something wrong when a faceless company can harvest OUR data and make scads of money off of us… and so few people seem to care. :huh: I don’t get it.
Life is never dull, and exciting things just seem to always happen to me... why me... when I'm not running around the house fixing things, I'm a freelance writer for national media outlets like USAToday.com, Salon.com, and others. I've even been interviewed by TIME and The Wall Street Journal about blogging. Can you believe it?! Here is where I express my zany, creative, motherly side. 
May 3, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I agree that it’s a pain when sites do this but they do allow you to opt out and I find it worth the time to have a FB account…especially with company’s giving great coupons - Loved the Sara Lee deli meat $2/1 coupon. 😉 Plus I’ve met some really cool folks - just by playing games, which I realize are time suckers but I enjoy for relaxing. =)
May 4, 2010 at 2:39 am
You just have to keep opting out of things, which is highly annoying, but I love that FB gives me such a good way to keep up with my friends and family far away. It’s too expensive to call, and with calls, or email, generally I feel the need to actually have news or something significant to say. In FB, I can simply challenge my sister to a family feud game, or say ‘Hooray’ to my friend’s status note that her husband is home from his business trip, or joke with my cousin about the latest free animal to gift in Farmville. FB has to make money somehow, so I try to bite back my annoyance. I think, however, that if they were more open and honest with their changes (they try to sneak things in!) then more people might actually opt IN to some features. It’s a BIG internet, full of a lot of JUNK, and, I don’t know, having an ‘online profile’ that makes my use a little more personalized (ads, searchs, whatever) is not actually a bad thing. As it is though I usually opt out and block everything of FB, on principle/out of spite. Get underhanded with me? Disallow!
May 4, 2010 at 7:28 am
You’re not the only one who isn’t in the facebook craze. I don’t have an acct nor will I ever. I personally think it’s garbage just like myspace. I also had my google buzz shut off. I don’t need that either. It just amazes me what some companies do to get more money. Selling information shouldn’t be one of them though.
May 4, 2010 at 8:33 am
I did join Facebook and quickly learned that I did not like it. Actually, I haven’t shut off my account - just never log into it because of all the junk on it. Guess I’d better try to shut it off.
I do enjoy blogging and probably some of these same problems occur with it - or will in the future.
May 7, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I am there for one reason, it is a mission field.
May 7, 2010 at 5:52 pm
oops corrected link
May 7, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Penny, that’s the best reason I’ve heard for having a FB account. But still, I think the FB folks could do a lot better than harvest our information like we are cattle.
May 7, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Moooooooooo
hee hee
May 7, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Meg, LOL! Too funny. I love your little brass bell collar. 😉
July 26, 2010 at 5:04 pm
yes i agree. it stinks
February 25, 2013 at 5:22 pm
I got talked into joining facebook. Suddenly I am getting all kinds of “friends requests” from people I don’t know from Adam. I can’t remember ever making a friends request. I think Facebook does it themselves by connecting people who know other people. Anyway, I just got a warning for allegedly trying to make friends with people who don’t know me. What a crock of bull. Wish I’d never joined. Have permanently deleted myself. Life is too short to waste any of it on this worthless nonsense.